Contemporary Autumnal Wedding in Canberra

Surrounded by the rich ruby tones of Autumn in the heart of Canberra, the scene was set for Hannah and Lachlan’s heartwarming day. Ten years on from when they first met, their contemporary wedding was filled with details that screamed them: a homemade wedding cake, every moment spent together and vendors they can’t stop raving about! Captured by the talented Acacia & Grace, let’s dive in!

Who knew helping a new student move into their uni accommodation would lead to the greatest relationship of their lives? Certainly not Hannah or Lachlan! “Lachlan was a year ahead and part of the welcoming committee. He helped take Hannah’s bags to her room. Our first proper conversation happened in the lunch line for lasagna. We became friends, and Hannah would frequently come down to Lachlan’s room to pick his brains. She was studying similar subjects to those he had studied the previous year, so this led to lots of conversations about politics, philosophy, and gender studies. The next year, we moved out of college into a share house with another friend and became even closer. We were basically inseparable as best friends before one night, helped by some liquid courage, we took the step to more than friends.”

Flash forward eight years, as Lachlan proposed to Hannah at the National Arboretum, overlooking Canberra. “This was shortly before our seventh anniversary as a couple. He chose this location because it’s somewhere we can easily return to and can see as we commute to work. He proposed with an art deco-inspired geometric ring with an Australian sapphire, blue to match my eyes. The ring was a surprise, picked with the help of two of my friends,” Hannah shared.

Lachlan wore a charcoal suit, complete with a double-breasted jacket, high-waisted, wide-legged trousers, brown oxfords and a beautiful burgundy tie. “For our reception, I swapped out the shirt and tie for a burgundy shirt with a wide collar from Front Office,” he explained.

“I’ve recently become more interested in menswear and thought this would be a good opportunity to mix things up a little suit-wise with the double-breasted jacket. I chose burgundy for the tie and shirt because I really like burgundy and it matched our autumnal colour palette and timing (not entirely a coincidence!). For the tie, I went with grenadine, as the weave adds a nice texture to the solid colour, providing visual interest.”

His younger brother Alex stood by his side as Best Man, wearing a grey Suit Supply suit to complement Lachlan’s own look.

For the ceremony, Hannah wore a beautiful A-line tea-length dress, and for the reception, she wore a two-piece combo. “I had an allergic reaction to the experience of wedding dress shopping. Everything felt very frilly/lacy/overwrought with lots of embellishments and frills. Most of the dresses felt very princess-y, which is not my energy at all. I decided to go back to basics and think about my personal style in a non-bridal context, which is quite minimalist with a focus on clean lines and tailoring. I considered wearing a white suit for a while, but landed on my 50s-inspired dress and contemporary reception outfit. High-waisted wide-leg trousers are something I wear almost every day, so why not on my wedding? Having two outfits felt indulgent, but it was actually pretty economical because I used a dressmaker I found on Etsy (Unona Wedding). This cut down costs, but I was still able to customise the pieces, and they fit perfectly,” she explained.

“I wore my great-grandmother’s wedding band on my pinkie – my mum was gifted this on her own wedding day by my grandmother. It was very special to have women who have gone before represented.”

As an only child, Hannah didn’t feel comfortable picking only one person to join her wedding party. So instead she picked three bridesmaids – her cousin Lily and her two best friends Julia and Hayley. “I was originally worried that having a lopsided wedding party would be weird, but I was persuaded that equal numbers were another tradition we didn’t need to worry about. The bridesmaids wore colours within the autumnal colour scheme. I wanted them to choose dresses they either already had or would wear again, and that made them feel good in their bodies.”

Like many wedding traditions that didn’t feel right for them, Hannah and Lachlan removed the separate getting-ready spaces and spent the morning together. “We booked a large hotel suite, and all got ready together. It was so nice that the two of us could wake up together on our wedding morning. Lachlan made teas and coffees while the girls had hair and makeup done, and our parents were able to hang out and get ready with us, too. It was such a special family time. We did a “first look” in the hotel room, and then all travelled together with our parents and wedding party in a minibus. It was lots of fun! On a day that is about committing to be together for life, it only felt right that we got to be together from dawn to midnight.”

The National Arboretum was the venue for this autumnal wedding, cementing it even further in Hannah and Lachlan’s story. “The Margaret Whitlam Pavilion felt like the perfect ceremony venue for us. It has a chapel-like feel with its high, pointed ceiling, but it is entirely secular. It’s also surrounded by the most gorgeous nature and views, but safely inside – a must for reducing weather-related anxiety.”

Lachlan and Hannah chose to walk down the aisle together, symbolising their relationship as two equal partners. “It was one of the highlights of the day. We walked down to our harpist playing “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” which was very charming.”

Moxom and Whitney created all of these beautiful florals for this autumnal wedding. “It was a dream. We love their work and how they use florals in interesting and often unexpected ways. Meeting with Lou to start planning so much fun – she sketched things out as we spoke and was so invested in our vision. We gave her lots of creative licence – we basically just said we want autumnal tones and that we like natives and quirky flowers. Our whole wedding party was blown away when the florals arrived. They were just so cool, like modern art pieces, with all the texture and variety. It was a testament to trusting creative people to be creative!” Hannah gushed.

Working with Stephanie Slater, Hannah and Lachlan created the perfect ceremony they’d dreamed of. “It was one of the best choices we made. She wrote the most beautiful and personalised ceremony for us. It told our story as a couple, from meeting when we were still teenagers to building our lives together as partners. It was sweet, funny, and meaningful in equal measure. We had two readings, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 166 and an excerpt from Dolly Alderton’s Everything I Know About Love. The contrast between the classic poetry and contemporary prose was something we enjoyed, and it was a special way to include people in our ceremony,” Hannah explained.

“We wrote our own vows, which were very personal, but the environment Steph created made it feel really comfortable and safe to share these in front of our guests. We got the best feedback after the ceremony, with people saying they enjoyed it and that it helped them better understand us as a couple. That was so lovely to hear, and all credit to Steph! All of our conversations with Steph were very affirming. Being able to talk about why we were choosing to get married and what this commitment means to us was very special. It was a great antidote to any wedding-related stress and a reminder of why we were doing this.”

Unfortunately, not all of their guests were able to attend the joyous ceremony, so the couple set up a livestream link to share with their loved ones. “Hannah’s 93-year-old Granny was unable to join us for the wedding, which was sad but understandable. Remarkably, she was able to open the link we’d texted her to the live stream and watch the ceremony live from her smartphone. This is extra impressive considering she has never owned a computer or used the internet before. When she called Hannah’s mum to report that she had been able to watch live, it felt like the biggest miracle, and we all cheered!”

Of all the beautiful moments captured throughout their autumnal wedding, a few shots stood out as their favourites. “One is definitely the group shot with our guests on the balcony and us in the foreground. Group shots are so tricky, but the setup for this one really worked, and we’re glad we were able to guarantee we captured everyone at least once. Another highlight is the ones in our reception outfits against the rust-coloured wall outside the Parlour. It was such an intense and unusual background, and it worked really well. We look so contemporary and fresh – no boring married couple here!”

Another Steph on their vendor dream team was the incredible Steph Marchant from Acacia & Grace! “Steph was the first vendor we hired after locking down our venues. She came as a recommendation from bridesmaid Julia, who had worked with her on a project previously. She understood us perfectly and was so helpful to bounce ideas off as we were planning the timeline. Hanging out with Steph on the day was awesome. She made us feel so comfortable and relaxed – nothing felt posed or awkward. She captured the day and atmosphere so well,” they shared.

Parlour Wine Bar in the heart of Canberra was the perfect location for this contemporary reception. “It’s a regular date night spot for us and already has a great energy and decor. We didn’t need to do much to it! The building has a lot of history too which we love. The mix of seating options inside and outside, with couches and benches, was perfect before we wanted a cocktail party vibe for people to mix and mingle rather than a traditional seated meal.”

There were a few DIY elements sprinkled throughout their reception styling, like all the stationery (invites, menus, programs) designed by Hannah herself. The star of the DIY show, however, was this beautiful two-tier cake baked by Lachlan’s mum, Janice! “It was a lemon cake with lemon curd and cream cheese icing. Everyone was raving about it and came back for seconds, which feels rare for wedding cakes.”

As a treat for all of their interstate guests, Hannah and Lachlan stocked up the venue with plenty of delicious local wines. “Most of our guests travelled to be with us, so we took it as our civic duty to disprove stereotypes about Canberra. Our wedding website contained a Canberra travel guide, which heaps of guests commented was super useful!”

The five things that made this autumnal wedding so special for Lachlan and Hannah included:

“1. Getting ready and walking down the aisle together.

2. Having so many friends and family fly in from interstate and overseas to be with us.

3. Dancing until past midnight with our people to Baker Boys Band.

4. Our double Steph dream team.

5. Using our costume change break for some alone time to let being married truly sink in before it was time to party.”

After planning and experiencing their wonderful wedding, Hannah has two pieces of advice for couples on their own journey right now: “Remember that everything is optional! If something doesn’t interest or speak to you, just skip it or change it. Wedding traditions are like a buffet – choose what you like and leave the rest.

Also, choose talented professionals whose work you admire and then trust them to nail it! Giving creative vendors leeway to use their expertise was a great choice for us.”

Baker Boys Band was the entertainment choice for this reception – and boy did Hannah and Lachlan love them! “100% worth it – live music is unbeatable! Our first dance was to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”. We didn’t rehearse – we just improvised until the horns hit, and then we pulled our guests onto the dance floor. It was a great way to get things going, and the dance floor was still pumping until the last song at midnight,” Hannah explained.

“The Baker Boys Band were incredible! Having a live band is an investment, but it’s so worth it in our opinion. It made the reception feel so alive and energised. They have a remarkable range and were so easy to work with. They had the dance floor going all the way until midnight, and they got so many compliments from our guests.”